Know a dog park that could use a little TLC?

This Forum is to bark about the very latest and greatest in the dog world: canine news; must-have new products, toys and accessories; dog-friendly art, culture, and entertainment, and more!

Please be aware that while you are allowed to inform others about your product or service if it is in context and is part of an existing discussion, we do not allow unsolicited advertising in the forums. We will remove all posts that seem to be selling rather than informing. If you're interested in advertising on Dogster, please contact us.

Our Cindy works part time for Nutro...today she got this press release from the Nutro Company about the 2012 "room to run" program...it offers $$$$$ to help spruce up/repair/enhance dog parks!

Here ya go...
Official Room to Run Press Release

The Nutro Company Launches Nationwide Grant Program to Enhance Dog Parks The ROOM TO RUN(TM) Dog Park Appreciation Project Partners With Country Star Sara Evans to Award Thirty Grants Across the U.S.

NASHVILLE, TN -- (Marketwire) -- 06/13/12 -- The Nutro Company, a leading manufacturer of natural* pet food products, has teamed up with country singer Sara Evans to encourage dog owners nationwide to apply for grant support to help enhance their local dog parks during the third annual ROOM TO RUN : ctt.marketwire.com/?release=898392&id=1706875&type=1& .. ™ Dog Park Appreciation Project. Now in its third year, The Nutro Company is expanding ROOM TO RUN™, a community program designed to support public, non-profit dog parks and off-leash areas, to encourage greater community engagement.

"As a proud dog owner, I'm excited to help The Nutro Company kick off the third annual event and to help spread the word to dog lovers around the country," said Sara Evans. "Our dog Roman is like a member of our family, and I know many people feel the same way about their own dogs. I support the ROOM TO RUN™ effort to give dogs and their owners an enhanced place to play and bond."

On June 13, 2012, the grant application forms will be available on the ROOM TO RUN(TM) grant website at www.easymatch.com/NutroRoomToRun. Thirty $2,000 grants will be awarded on a rolling basis (through October 2012) to help fund enhancement efforts in public, non-profit dog parks serving local communities in the U.S. Dog park enhancements may range from:

To award the grants, The Nutro Company has formed the ROOM TO RUN™ Associate Board to review and select parks that exhibit the greatest need. The deadline for entries is September 31, 2012.

"Enhancing dog parks is a natural fit for The Nutro Company, as we've had a long-standing commitment to promote a healthy lifestyle for pets by producing natural pet food for more than 80 years," said Kent Cunningham, vice president of Marketing for The Nutro Company. "Many of us use our own local dog parks as a place to interact and bond with our dogs, so we're excited to take ROOM TO RUN™ to the next level by encouraging community members to take action and apply for grant support to help enhance their local parks."

Since the program's inception in 2010, ROOM TO RUN™ has committed more than 3,000 man hours to enhance 60 dog parks across North America.

To learn more about the ROOM TO RUN(TM) Dog Park Appreciation Project, visit The Nutro Company's Community Initiatives page at www.nutro.com/about-us/community-initiatives.aspx or find us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/NutroProducts (and click the ROOM TO RUN(TM) tab). Grant applications can be found online at www.easymatch.com/NutroRoomToRun until the September 31, 2012 deadline.

ROOM TO RUN™ criteria for grant support consideration include:

Demonstrate the enhancement needs of the dog park and the resulting benefit to community (via explanation in application and photos)

Confirm dog park officials are willing to make park enhancements and that they can be executed in a six-month time period. Applicant and/or recipient dog park will provide photo updates of dog park enhancements. Recipient dog park is willing to place a placard provided by The Nutro Company in the park for at least one year, commemorating the grant.

I tried to apply for my local dog park...which is just a fenced in area...no water. But it said it didn't meet their criteria. Kind of sad since the local government really can only afford the fence and nothing else. They were just banking on the fees to break even. Took a lot of persuading to get them to do it in the first place.